Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
by Laura Picken
Summary: A broken-hearted Andy is being seduced by a shape-shifting demon. Will Prue have to reveal that she's a witch in order to save his life?
1. Chapter 1

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered  
A Charmed Love Story  
by Laura Picken

Hi all! This was my first attempt at Charmed fan fiction. I really like Prue and  
Andy, but TPTB did a *terrible* job at handling their relationship. Trust  
should be the first facet of any relationship, and Andy's absolutely right to be  
upset that Prue won't trust him. So, being a habitual fan fiction writer, this is  
my response to that.

DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I don't own these characters, or you'd be seeing  
this next Wednesday night. These lovely men and women are owned by Aaron  
Spelling, E. Duke Vincent and Warner Brothers. They own the rights, I own  
less than nothing, and the characters can go back to your world when they're  
done, I promise! Please don't sue - you wouldn't get anything anyway.

And now, on with the show...

* * *

It was a beautiful night for a walk-the fog was just low enough to make even  
the dingiest of city streets into a place of mystery, yet you could still look up  
and see some of the stars in the sky. Martin couldn't believe the incredible  
beauty he found himself lucky enough to be walking with. Even her name  
rolled off the tongue like sweet wine. Squeezing the arm he had draped around  
her petite shoulders, he repeated the name to himself once more. Samantha...

Leaning in just slightly, he found himself unable to resist inhaling the  
perfumed aroma of her blond hair. He was an old-fashioned kind of guy, he  
thought, and a voice in the back of his mind tried to convince him that this was  
-way- to far for him to be going on a first date. His body's response to her  
nearness, though, shut those thoughts down quickly. My God, he thought, just  
being next to her is intoxicating...

Just as he was about to pull away, though, she turned her head to look up at  
him. Blue eyes locked on brown, and the attraction was unstoppable. At first,  
he kissed her tentatively, not sure if she was feeling as strongly as he was about  
what was going on between them. All hesitation was thrown to the wind,  
though, as she deepened the kiss quickly, returning his feelings with more  
enthusiasm than he thought a woman of her small size could possibly be able to  
produce.

Martin was so caught up in the passion he was feeling, he didn't notice  
Samantha forcing them into a nearby alley. Didn't notice how the fog had  
grown thicker, seemingly enveloping them in its own private curtain.  
Didn't notice how her kiss seemed to be draining the very life from his body...

When the fog lifted, Samantha pulled her hair back into a relaxed ponytail,  
sighing in annoyance that Martin had done so much to mess up her usually  
pristine appearance. Quickly touching up her makeup and reassuring herself  
that she did indeed look fabulous, she picked up her pace just slightly, walking  
with the confidence of a woman who knew she could take on the world even as  
she left the body of one Martin Jeffries behind to rot in that dark alley...

* * *

It looked like the parting of the Red Sea.

In reality, it was simply one of those things that was becoming a fact of life in  
the San Francisco PD. When Inspector Andy Trudeau was in a bad mood, your  
best course of action would be to get out of the way before he shoved you out of  
the way. And Andy looked like he was ready to do some shoving tonight.

Morris whistled as he took in his partner's appearance. He was the only one  
who could get away with talking to his partner when the man was in this bad a  
state, and he knew it. "Whew, Andy! Should I alert the National Weather  
Service, or is this storm going to blow over quickly?"

Andy groaned. Even he could tell the joke was lame. "Morris, can it, all right?  
Tonight's not a good night for this."

[Boy, he's -really- in a bad mood! This could only mean one thing.]  
Sympathetically, Morris asked, "It's Prue again, isn't it?"

Drawing in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Andy nodded. "She stood  
me up."

"-More- sister stuff?!"

At Andy's nod of confirmation, Morris drew an hand back through his hair. By  
this point, he was almost as frustrated as his partner about this. "What -is- it  
with those three, anyway?"

Andy simply shook his head. "I wish I knew, Morris. I really wish I knew."  
Bitterly, he added, "It's not like Prue's ever going to tell me..."

Morris caught on immediately. "That's what's bugging you, isn't it? You think  
that Prue doesn't trust you." Andy nodded.

Morris couldn't help it. He started laughing. "Man, that's gotta be a first. A  
man feeling betrayed because a -woman's- keeping secrets from -him-!"

Andy thought for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a small chuckle  
himself. Stepping back from the situation, it was pretty absurd. Too bad he  
couldn't step back from the situation every time Prue had 'sister stuff' going  
on...

The Inspector shook the thoughts out of his head, realizing that if he dwelt on  
what was going on between himself and Prue, they would be there all night.  
And both he and Morris had better things to do. "So what do we have here?"

Flipping open his notebook, Morris used his notes to brief Andy on their crime  
scene. "According to his wallet, the name of the deceased is Martin Jeffries,  
Single, age 35."

"Cause of death?"

"Asphyxiation."

"-Again-?" As Morris nodded, Andy's eyes widened slightly. He shouldn't be  
surprised, not after the cases he'd investigated this year. Then again..."Isn't  
that the third case this month?"

Morris nodded. "Looks like we've got a serial killer on our hands, my friend."

* * *

Piper looked at her watch for what had to be the thirtieth time that day. 1:30.  
Andy was going to be there any minute.

She had reserved them a quiet table, far away from the kitchen where they  
could relax, and talk. Piper felt absolutely horrible about the way things were  
going between him and her sister. It was clear to her that Prue loved Andy as  
much as he loved her, and in some ways, she felt partially to blame for the way  
things were going between them. After all, if it wasn't for the fact that they  
were witches...

Shrugging off all thoughts of unmentionable subjects, Piper resolved that she  
would just sit and listen and try to help Andy in any way that she could without  
telling Andy about their powers...The young chef nearly jumped when she  
finally spotted Andy near the entrance to the restaurant. Crossing the busy  
floor, she intercepted him before he made it very far. "Hi, Andy! How's it  
going?"

Andy still didn't know what to make of Piper's invitation to lunch. While never  
one to pass up a free meal - especially at Quake - he had a feeling this had  
something to do with the fight he and Prue had gotten into the night before. A  
fight that Andy was not ready to discuss yet...particularly with his supposed  
girlfriend's sister. Shoving his hands in his pockets to keep himself from  
fidgeting, Andy replied, "All right, I guess. What's this about, Piper?"

Piper deliberately avoided the question as she suggested, "We'll have plenty of  
time to talk when we get to the table. Why don't you get us a couple of drinks  
from the bar and I'll go see if our table's ready? I'll take a white wine."

And before Andy had any possible chance to prod Piper further, she was gone-  
halfway across the restaurant before he even blinked. [How in the world does  
she -do- that?] Setting aside -that- impossible question for the moment, Andy  
made his way to the crowded bar to try and get the bartender's attention.

It was then that he saw her, out of the corner of his eye. Normally, blondes  
weren't his type, but there was something about this one...Andy had crossed the  
entire length of the bar and was at her side before he could even think about  
what he was doing.

Finding himself at a loss for words, he soon found out he didn't need them as  
the woman spoke first - but only after looking him up and down  
appreciatively. Strangely, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was intensely  
flattered as she greeted him, "Hello, handsome."

Smiling, he answered her, "Hello, yourself." Trying to muster up courage he  
wasn't feeling, Andy spoke before he thought. "So what's an amazing woman  
like you doing in a place like this?"

The woman groaned, a sound which was as seductive as it was defeating, as she  
turned away from Andy to take a sip of her drink. "You know, that's got to be  
the oldest pick up line known to man."

"Absolutely," Andy agreed, "But it was all I could think of to say at the  
moment."

The woman laughed appreciatively. "Well at least you're honest." Setting  
aside her drink, she sat up slightly as she offered her hand. "The name's  
Samantha."

Andy shook her hand in return. "Inspector Andy Trudeau."

Samantha raised an eyebrow in surprise. "-Inspector-? Really?"

"Yes ma'am. Just recently promoted."

Samantha smiled. "Well then why don't we go out for a drink sometime, to  
celebrate this...recent promotion. Say, tomorrow night?"

Andy was almost taken aback. It had been a while since he was with a woman  
this assertive. Then again, it had been a while since he was interested in  
anyone other than Prue...shaking all thoughts of her aside for the moment, he  
agreed, "Pick you up at 6?"

"Sounds great," agreed Samantha.

Their conversation was interrupted by someone calling out, "Andy!" from the  
other end of the bar. Taking his eyes off Samantha, Andy turned to the sound  
of his name being called, and immediately recognized Phoebe as the one doing  
the calling. Muttering something about the Halliwell sisters and their  
impeccable timing, Andy turned back to excuse himself from Samantha's  
presence...

Only to find her gone. Letting out a soft string of curses to try and express  
some of the frustration he was feeling, he commented to no one in particular, "I  
don't even have your-"

Before he could say 'number', the edge of the cocktail napkin caught his eye.  
There, just above the Quake logo, was a note for him:

555-6660  
Don't be late! -A

Smiling, he picked up the napkin and folded it into his inside coat pocket just  
as Phoebe caught up with him. Before he could say a word, though, Phoebe  
spoke up first. "Andy! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"

"Actually, your sister Piper invited me for lunch-"

"What a coincidence," interrupted Phoebe, "I'm here to drop off some papers  
for her to sign. Why don't I walk you to the table?" Not letting Andy argue  
with her, she offered, "Is this your drink?" She picked up the glass to hand it to  
Andy...

*FLASH*

The world faded to black and white. She saw Andy lying in a hotel room bed, a  
thin sheet barely covering the lower half of his body. She could hear a woman's  
laughter in the background, but that wasn't important to Phoebe. What -was-  
important was that in Phoebe's mind's eye, Andy was no longer alive...

"Phoebe? Are you all right?"

The young witch shook off her disorientation when she felt Andy's hand on his  
shoulder. Looking up into the eyes of the man she just saw as a corpse was, to  
say the least, uncomfortable. Shoving the envelope into his hands, Phoebe  
rattled off a quick excuse. "I'm fine. Listen, I gotta run. Can you give these to  
Piper for me? Thanks. I'll see you later!"

And she was gone before Andy even had a chance to respond. He was  
beginning to wonder if that disappearing act was a genetic trait when he saw  
Piper trying to flag him down from their table. Adding that train of thought to  
his mental list of questions marked "Later", Andy got the drinks from the  
bartender and made his way over to Piper's table.

* * *

Piper was beginning to wonder if Phoebe was going to wear a hole in the floor  
that would go straight through to the basement. "Will you just -sit- -down-,  
Phoebe? Prue's going to be home any minute."

Hearing that did nothing to improve Phoebe's mood. "Really?" she replied,  
"And what are we going to tell her when she gets here? That the man she  
loves, who she's currently in a huge fight with, is going to sleep with some  
woman and die because that woman's actually a demon?"

"Who's going to sleep with a demon and die?"

The sound of their sister's voice caused both Phoebe and Piper to jump. Taking  
in a deep breath to strengthen herself, Phoebe figured it was best she just say it.  
"I had a flash this afternoon when I went to Quake to drop off the insurance  
paperwork. Andy's going to go out with another woman tomorrow night, sleep  
with her, and end up dead."

Prue felt like someone had just sucker punched her in the gut. "What?"

Piper replied, with a calmness she wasn't feeling, "Do you really need her to  
repeat it?"

Weakly, Prue shook her head. "No, I heard her the first time." A chair slid up  
behind Prue, and she collapsed into it. She rested her head in her hands, trying  
to absorb what her sister had told her. "Phoebe, are you -sure- it was Andy you  
saw?"

Phoebe nodded. "I saw his face, Prue. He was dead."

"And you think he was murdered?"

Phoebe nodded again. "I heard a woman laughing in the background. Not  
something you normally do when there's a corpse in your bed."

Prue leaned her head back against the chair, letting out a deep breath she barely  
knew she was holding. Phoebe had a point. "So do you have any idea -what-  
killed him?"

Phoebe nodded, pulling out a crumpled sheet of paper with notes she had taken  
from the Book of Shadows. "He wasn't stabbed or anything like that - I didn't  
see any blood. So he had to have been drugged, or strangled, or suffocated in  
some way. Then when I looked in the Book of Shadows, I found this."

Taking the paper from Phoebe's hand, Prue read over the notes quickly. "A  
Succubus...a demon who takes the human form of a woman to steal men's souls  
through the art of seduction...and only the power of true love can destroy her."

Piper suggested, "That means we have a good shot, right? We can stop her?"

Prue got up and started to pace the room herself. Watching her sister trace  
Phoebe's path back and forth across the room, Piper muttered, "Maybe we  
should build a track..." Composing herself, she then asked Prue out loud, "You  
do love him, don't you, Prue?"

Prue's only response to her sister's question was a deep, pained sigh. "I don't  
know, Piper. I honestly don't know. And even if I did..." [We couldn't be  
together because I'd have to keep our secret from him and he couldn't handle  
that.] Prue didn't finish her thought out loud.

It didn't matter; her sisters already knew what she was thinking. But before  
they could call her on it, Prue suggested, "If Andy doesn't go on that date,  
though, that means he won't sleep with that woman, doesn't it?"

Phoebe and Piper caught on to Prue's train of thought immediately. It was  
Piper who suggested what they all were thinking. "So all we have to do is stop  
him from going on that date."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Piper sat in the conservatory, watching the phone as closely  
as she would any demon. The chances of Andy accepting a lunch at Quake  
again, Piper knew, were pretty much slim to none, so she decided that maybe a  
phone call would be the best way to approach things. It didn't make it any  
easier to pick up that phone, though.

Pacing the length of the conservatory, Piper thought out loud, considering her  
options. "Let's see, what should I tell him? 'Hi Andy, want to go out tonight?  
Oh no, I'm not trying to steal you away from Prue, I just don't want you to be  
killed by some demon blonde you sleep with tonight'...no, that won't work. How  
about, 'Hi Andy, would you like to come over for dinner? After all, the Surgeon  
General has said that if you date anyone other than Prue, it could be hazardous  
to your health'...okay, that was worse." Finally, she came to a decision as to  
how to approach things. "Well, if at first you don't succeed...lie."

Wanting to get the phone call over with before her nerve left her, Piper picked  
up the phone and dialed.

Andy was just pulling the file together on Martin Jeffries' murder when his  
phone rang. "Inspector Trudeau."

"Andy? It's Piper."

While Andy was always happy to hear from a friend, hearing from Piper for the  
third time in three days was just a little suspicious. That suspicion showed in  
his voice as he replied, "Piper! What's going on?"

Too nervous to think of anything other than what she needed to say, Piper  
simply continued, "Oh, everything's great, Andy. Listen, what are you doing  
for dinner tonight?"

Andy almost felt discussing his prospective activities for the evening with one  
of the Halliwell sisters. "I have a date. Why?"

"Well," replied Piper, "I think the restaurant's accountant may be cooking the  
books, and I wanted to see if you could take a look at it, you know, see if we  
had a case..."

[Cooking the -books-? And she wants to discuss this during the dinner rush?]  
Andy resisted the urge to look at the -phone- like it was crazy. Trying to keep  
the disbelief out of his voice, Andy suggested calmly, "Piper, shouldn't you be  
talking to another accountant? Or a lawyer?"

"Uh..." Piper hadn't expected him to argue-she had just hoped he would see  
it as coming to help out a friend. "I hadn't thought of that..."

"Okay then. If you want, I'll even go with you to the lawyer tomorrow."

"B-b-b-but..."

By now, Andy was anxious to end the conversation, which was obviously  
staged to get him and Prue back together. No dice - they had bigger issues  
than could be fixed by one manipulated date. "Have a good evening, Piper. I  
know I intend to." *click*

Piper listened to a good ten seconds of dial tone before she hung up the phone.  
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back against the chair and sighed.  
"Well," she commented, "-that- did us a lot of good." Picking up the phone,  
she set Plan B into action. "Hello, Phoebe..."

* * *

Unlike Piper, Phoebe preferred the direct approach. She had been on the  
receiving end of too many lies in her life to like actually telling them anymore.  
Besides, they were supposed to be for good, right? And good meant honest...

Closing her car door, Phoebe took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly.  
Walking up to the doors of the police station, she prayed to whomever was  
listening and watching over good witches that day to have the words to stop  
Andy from going on that date-and ran straight into Andy in the process.  
Jumping back, Phoebe tried to hide her surprise and embarrassment. "Andy?  
What a surprise..."

[Finding me at the police station is a -surprise-?] Andy put a hand on his hip,  
the suspicion on his face quite evident. Running into one of the Halliwell  
sisters might be considered a coincidence, or in Prue's case, good fortune. Two  
was a plot. "All right, Phoebe, what's going on?"

Phoebe blushed, trying her best to look innocent. "Going on? Andy, I'm just  
here to pay a parking ticket..."

"Phoebe, cut the innocent act, it's not you," insisted Andy. "Now -what's- -  
going- -on-?"

Drawing in another deep breath to gather her thoughts, Phoebe let it out as she  
told Andy, "You can't go on that date tonight, Andy. Something bad's going to  
happen if you do. Something very bad..."

Now Andy was completely bewildered. [What the heck is she talking about?]  
"Phoebe, did Piper put you up to this?"

Phoebe stood aghast. "No way, Andy. I'm here on my own. Prue didn't put me  
up to this..."

[Prue? I had asked her if -Piper- put her up to this...] Leaning in so that  
Phoebe had to crane her neck to look at him, Andy warned her, "Well then, just  
remember that cliche threats against a police officer are still threats. When  
you're ready to be specific, call me."

Pushing Phoebe aside, Andy headed for the parking lot, leaving an exasperated  
young witch in his wake. They had already agreed that, the way things were  
going, Andy would never listen to Prue. Now they knew he wasn't going to  
listen to Piper or Phoebe either. So what were they going to do now?

* * *

"...and only the power of true love will destroy her..."

Prue should have known her own words were going to come back to haunt her.  
Grateful for the cell phone which allowed her to have this conversation -away-  
from the office, Prue asked Phoebe, "He asked you if I put you up to this?"

"Yep," replied her sister, at home, "He seemed ready to bite my head off the  
whole time. I swear he thinks this whole thing is just a plot to try and get the  
two of you back together."

"Well," chimed in Piper on the third line from the restaurant, "You -could- call  
it that, in a way..."

Both of the other sisters expressed the same sentiment at the same time.  
"Piper..."

"No way, guys, this time I'm right and you know it. Prue, this is your call.  
Andy's determined to go on this date tonight. Do we go after him or not?"

Prue let out an exasperated sigh, leaning her head against the steering wheel of  
the parked car. She knew exactly what her sister was asking. Did she love  
Andy enough to fight this demon for him?

"...I still love you, you know...I just wish we could have a normal date, for  
once-is that too much to ask?..."

Snatches of their conversations echoed in the back of her mind. Andy was  
attractive, that much she had known from the moment he walked back into her  
life at the hospital that day. And the fact that he stuck around this long said a  
lot about how much he wanted to be with her. In the back of her mind, she  
admitted she wanted to be with him just as much - why else would they keep  
trying to make this thing work?

She recalled a quote she saw on a poster once: "There is abundant testimony  
that if we choose love rather than self, we gain immeasurably." Up to this  
point, Prue knew she had been choosing self rather than love-keeping her  
powers a secret had been more important to her than keeping Andy. Maybe it  
was time she started choosing love...

Sitting up in the driver's seat, Prue realized that her sisters were still on the  
line. "All right, you guys still think this is the same woman who's killed those  
men the past couple nights?"

"Yeah," replied Piper. "They were always found near the bridge, hidden in the  
alleys between the buildings."

"Phoebe, are there any hotels near there?"

"A couple. Mostly seedy little dives, but they're there."

"Okay guys, meet me near the bridge in an hour. Let's just hope our little  
Succubus sticks to her pattern..."

Piper warned her older sister, "Prue, you realize there's a good chance Andy's  
going to find out about us if we go through with this?"

Prue nodded, then remembered she was still on a phone. "That's a chance  
we're just going to have to take. For now, let's focus on keeping him alive,  
okay? We'll worry about the rest later."

Phoebe understood immediately what that meant. [About time she figured it  
out, too. Well, I guess we're going to have to find another good question to ask  
the spirit board...]

* * *

Samantha couldn't seem to concentrate for the death of her. This was supposed  
to be a 'pleasure date' with an attractive guy - that creepy Martin Jeffries had  
been strong enough that he'd keep her going for a week at least. And if she  
decided to take the good Inspector tonight anyway, well, maybe she could relax  
a little. St. Thomas was always so beautiful this time of year; maybe she would  
go down there and take a vacation - after all, she hadn't had one in centuries...

[There it is again.] Samantha was forced to put down her silverware and take a  
nervous sip out of her water glass as the feeling hit her again, stronger this  
time. It was like a wave of pure energy; but she knew somehow that the wave  
she was feeling was small in comparison to what she -could- be feeling.  
Someone was following her tonight...someone powerful. But who was it? And  
why?

A strong hand covered one of her own, shaking Samantha from her  
uncomfortable thoughts. She looked up to find a look of concern on Andy's  
face. "Samantha, are you all right?"

[Should I lie and just tell him that I'm fine?] Samantha had to fight to keep the  
smile off her face as she slowly realized she could use this uneasy feeling to her  
advantage. Leaning back in her chair, she quietly told Andy, "To be honest,  
I'm not feeling very well. Would you mind walking me home?"

The loving look in Andy's eye told Samantha that her comment had hit its  
mark. Smiling, he assured her, "Of course. Where do you live?"

[Bullseye!] "Oh, I'm only a few blocks from here. And it's a nice night. I'm  
sure the fresh air will do me a world of good."

Andy pulled the napkin out from his collar and dropped it on the table. "Well,  
then let's get out of here, shall we?"

* * *

It was, indeed, a beautiful night for a walk. The sky seemed filled with a  
million stars, extending from the heights of the heavens all the way down to the  
Golden Gate Bridge. Even the streets seemed relatively quiet - as if the city  
itself had decided to take a night off. So why did Andy suddenly have an  
uneasy feeling about his situation that he had been unable to shake for the past  
ten minutes?

Maybe he just ate something at dinner that didn't agree with him.  
Maybe it was the fact that the street around him simply seemed too quiet.  
Maybe it was Phoebe's ominous warnings earlier in the day that were coming  
back to haunt him.  
Or maybe it was the fact that he was less than a block away from the alley  
where they had found the body of Martin Jeffries the night before.

That was it! Dark night...nobody around but himself and Samantha...this was  
where all the bodies had been found...they were perfect targets. Quickening his  
pace just slightly, Andy looked down at the woman in his arms, to see how she  
was doing. "How far is it to your apartment, Samantha?"

Using a surprising amount of strength, Samantha forced Andy to slow down  
even as she looked up into his eyes, smiling. "It's only around the corner,  
Andy. Relax."

The argument that was beginning to form in Andy's mind vanished the minute  
her gaze rested upon him. Suddenly he found himself unable to speak, fully  
lost in those big, blue eyes. The only coherent thought he was able to come up  
with was that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.  
Stopping Samantha in the middle of the sidewalk, he cupped her face in his  
hands, and leaned down to kiss her...

"ANDY, STOP! DON'T KISS HER!"

The spell was broken, and Andy rolled his eyes in frustration. How was it that,  
regardless of where he happened to be in the city, the Halliwell sisters seemed  
to be able to find him at the drop of a hat?

* * *

Looking down, though, he realized that Samantha was no longer in his arms,  
but was walking slowly toward Prue, Phoebe and Piper, who were standing at  
the end of the block. Were her eyes really -glowing-? It must have been  
something he ate at dinner. He -had- to be hallucinating.

It took all of Samantha's strength not to keel over in the face of the wave of  
energy that was being directed at her. But she had fed well lately, so she was  
very strong. "You are the ones who've been following us tonight, haven't you?"

At first, Prue had been surprised that the succubus was such a small creature-  
barely Phoebe's height. But the glow of her eyes and the boom of her voice  
convinced Prue that this was a demon, just like any other. "He's not yours. Let  
him go before we destroy you."

"Oh, -really-?" The mocking tone in the succubus' voice was starting to turn  
Prue's stomach. "If he's not mine, then -whose- is he?" She acted surprised, as  
if the realization hit her suddenly. "He's -yours-, isn't he?" Turning around to  
face a stunned Andy, Samantha mockingly commented, "Honey, you should  
have -told- me you preferred brunettes!"

Instantly the succubus changed shape. Within seconds she became an identical  
twin to Prue. Matching Prue's voice exactly, the succubus sighed , then turned  
her head toward Andy and smiled appreciatively. "Now, that's much better!  
How do you like me now, handsome?"

All traces of fear left Andy's expression as his attention was captured by the  
succubus once again. She tried to move closer to Andy when the energy she  
felt earlier hit her once again. This time it wrapped itself around her like an  
unbreakable cord. Turning her head around to her adversaries, she could tell  
that it was their leader - the one who claimed Andy as her own - who was  
controlling this energy. She had not felt fear in millennia, but as her feet left  
the ground against her will, Samantha was terrified.

Until she realized that Andy was still under her control. Turning back around  
so she could see his face, Samantha called out to him, "She's got me, Andy!  
She's the demon! Help me!"

Phoebe called out in her sister's defense, trying to stop Andy before he did  
something he regretted. Grabbing Andy by the shoulders, she tried to talk  
some sense into him. "Andy, no! Don't you see? She's the one who killed  
those men! She was about to kill you, too!"

Without a word, Andy pushed Phoebe aside, sending her flying into a nearby  
wall, knocking her unconscious. He then lunged at Prue, thinking she was the  
demon trying to kill the woman he loved.

Startled by the attack, Prue's concentration was broken, and Samantha fell to  
the ground, laughing all the way. "Yes," she whispered, "get her! Then when  
you realize you've killed the woman you love, you'll be begging me to take your  
soul..."

Piper was terrified. The way Andy shoved Phoebe aside, it was clear he was  
still under the demon's control. That meant he could...

*FREEZE*

Time froze for Andy and Samantha - but Piper and Prue were still able to  
move, and Prue took full advantage of it, using her power to lift Andy a couple  
of feet above her so she could roll out and away from his incoming punch. She  
then stood beside her sister, catching her breath. They didn't have much time,  
and she knew it. Looking over to Samantha, who was frozen on her knees,  
cheering Andy on, Prue asked Piper, "A stake through the heart will kill her,  
right?"

Piper nodded, catching her breath and praying that time wouldn't unfreeze  
before them just yet. "Yeah."

Quickly scanning the area, Prue discovered that someone had thrown away an  
old Radio Flyer wagon. With one powerful thought, she broke a wooden plank  
off from the wagon and broke the plank in half.

Just as Prue was using her powers to send the makeshift stake flying through  
Samantha's heart, time unfroze. Andy's fist connected with the concrete  
beneath him, breaking Samantha's spell even as he realized that there was  
supposed to actually -be- someone there for him to punch. Turning around, he  
saw Samantha, still the mirror image of Prue, standing over him, clutching at  
the wooden plank protruding through her chest. He screamed,  
"NOOOOOOOO!" just as Samantha hit the ground...and turned to dust.

Crawling on his hands and knees, Andy fell to the spot where he thought the  
woman he loved had just collapsed in death. Blindly picking up a handful of  
dust, his thoughts were a tangle of emotional hysterics. Was this Prue? Was  
this Samantha? She turned to -dust-! He thought only vampires did that.

A familiar voice called out to him from behind. "It's over, Andy. It's over."

Andy could barely believe his eyes. "Prue?"

She nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Yeah Andy, it's me."

Andy could only nod in response. "Oh. Good."

No longer able to take the strain, he promptly fainted. And just as he fainted, a  
groan could be heard near the wall, indicating that Phoebe had just awakened.  
Slowly standing up, she rubbed the nasty bump on her head as she took in the  
situation. Piper and (apparently) Prue were standing at the entrance to the  
alley, laughing. Andy was unconscious at their feet, and the demon was  
nowhere to be seen. Phoebe was confused. "Did I miss anything?"

This only caused Prue and Piper to laugh even harder. Turning to Phoebe,  
Piper suggested, "C'mon. Why don't you help me get the van, and I'll fill you  
in on the way."


	3. Chapter 3

Warmth was the first thing that registered in Andy Trudeau's mind. That, and  
coffee.

Opening his eyes, Andy was surprised to find himself on Prue's couch, with no  
shoes on. Moaning softly at the brightness of the lights to his eyes, he started  
to sit up. Instantly, Prue was at his side, helping him to a seated position. As  
soon as he was comfortable he told her, "Thank you."

Prue smiled back in response. "No problem."

It was then that Andy realized, the last thing he remembered was being on a  
date...with Samantha. Wondering what had happened in between, he realized  
that -something-, evidently, must have happened during their date. He had to  
call her. Fishing around in his pockets, he finally found the cocktail napkin he  
was looking for. Swinging his legs down to the floor, Andy moved to get up off  
the couch. "I have to call Samantha-"

A hand on his shoulder stopped any further movement, and, looking up, he  
realized that it was Prue who didn't want him to make the phone call. "Andy,  
she's gone."

[Gone? Where? How?] Andy blinked a couple of times, the confusion evident  
on his face as he sat back down. "Gone?"

Prue sighed, sitting on the edge of the table across from him. "Don't you  
remember the alley?"

This left Andy even more confused. "The all-? Oh God." Resting the back of  
his head against the couch, Andy moaned again as the memories flooded back  
to him. "I thought it was a bad dream."

Prue took a sip of her own cup of coffee to try and help herself to relax. Why  
did this seem like it was going to be so hard to explain? "No, Andy, it was real.  
All of it."

Andy's eyes widened in shock. "-All- of it? You were -there-?" Prue nodded.

Andy drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to make sense of the  
events as he remembered them. He was walking Samantha home, and almost  
kissed her when Prue stopped them. Samantha then changed into Prue, then  
Prue lifted Prue off the ground-with her mind? Prue screamed that the other  
one was the demon trying to kill her, so he went after the one on the ground.  
Then he must have blacked out or something because the next thing he knew,  
one of the Prues was standing behind him and the other-turned to dust because  
of a stake through her heart? Resting his head in his hands, Andy wondered if  
the migraine now building in his head was the first sure sign of a nervous  
breakdown. He moaned softly, "The more I think about it, the less it makes any  
sense."

Pulling Andy's hands away from his face to take them in her own, Prue-or was  
it-looked over at him and smiled reassuringly. "You want me to try and  
explain it?"

Weakly, Andy nodded. If-whoever this was-could explain the things running  
around in his head so they made sense, he would be grateful to them for the rest  
of his life.

Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Prue admitted, "First-I'm  
Prue."

Andy knew the sarcasm in his voice was uncalled for, but..."Oh, -that- helps..."

"No, really, I'm Prue," Prue replied, "The ex-girlfriend who still wants to go out  
with you but you're mad at me because I won't tell you my big secret - that  
Prue."

Andy blinked twice, evidence that -something- was clearing up in his mind.  
[Samantha wouldn't have known about that - I never got around to telling her.]  
"Prue?"

Prue smiled and nodded, and Andy seemed to relax. But only slightly. "Then  
who was-?"

Prue completed the sentence for him. "Samantha?" When Andy nodded, she  
paused to take another sip of her coffee and continued, "She was a demon  
called a succubus. They're kind of like vampires-usually, they come to a man at  
night in the form of a beautiful woman, and sleep with him, taking part of their  
souls away in the process."

Prue was talking about this like it was commonplace for her...which made  
almost no sense to Andy. One thing did stand out, though. "Usually?"

"Apparently this one had gotten greedy. She would take a guy out for a first  
date, and steal his -whole- soul in their first 'encounter'. That's how those other  
guys died."

The details of Martin Jeffries' case started filing into Andy's mind. "The ones  
we've been finding dead of asphyxiation?" Prue nodded.

Another memory from the alley stopped him cold. Samantha had known that  
Prue was following them, but..."How did you know what she was?"

Turning her head away for a moment to compose herself, Prue drew in a deep  
breath, gathering her strength. [Now comes the tough part...] Unable to look  
Andy in the eye just yet, Prue admitted, "Andy? Remember that secret I've  
been refusing to tell you? The one that's made my life so complicated?"

[She's going to tell me -now-?] Andy couldn't believe what he was hearing. In  
the middle of this bizarre conversation, the woman he loved more than  
anything was going to finally tell him the big secret that was threatening to  
keep them apart. [That can't mean...]

"Andy, I'm a witch."

[Oh God, it -does- have something to do with what we're talking about!] Andy  
eye's widened in surprise, then rolled in disbelief. "You're a witch?"

Prue nodded. "That was how I knew what Samantha was."

Forget the explanation, Andy was still having trouble getting past the truth.  
"You're a witch?"

Prue raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Well, you gotta admit, it does sound pretty crazy..."

Prue's mind raced for a demonstration Andy would believe. Then she realized  
he hadn't touched the second cup on the table. "You haven't touched your  
coffee yet, Andy."

Thrown by the casual comment, Andy blinked for a moment, then realized  
there was a second cup on the table next to Prue. He shifted his weight and  
started to reach for it...

...when it flew off the table and landed gently in his hands. Normally, he  
would have dismissed the cup as a figment of his imagination, except that  
figment triggered another memory of the alley..."That -was- you, wasn't it?  
You had grabbed Samantha with your-" [What exactly do you call what she  
just did?]

Prue completed the thought. "I can move things with my mind, yes. And that's  
what I was doing to Samantha, until she tricked you into thinking I was her."

Another memory flashed across his mind-of tackling Prue and wrestling her to  
the ground, thinking her to be a demon. Guilt played across Andy's features as  
he realized exactly -who- it was he had tackled. "God, Prue, I'm so sorry..."

"That's okay," she reassured him, "You didn't know."

"Is that when I blacked out?"

[Tough confession number two...] Prue shook her head. "No, Andy, that's not  
when you blacked out."

Andy was confused. "But-"

Prue stopped him before he could ask his question. "My power is that I can  
move things with my mind, Andy. One of my other sisters has the power to  
temporarily stop time."

Another memory - this time of Phoebe getting slammed against a wall,  
knocking her unconscious because she got in his way. That left..."Piper?" Prue  
nodded. "Your sisters are -both- witches?"

Again, Prue nodded. "We're called the Three-it's a name we inherited. We're  
supposed to use our powers to stop the evil things of this world from harming  
people."

"Like Samantha?"

"Like Samantha."

Andy tried to take stock of the conversation so far. Prue, Piper and Phoebe  
were -all- -real- witches. Prue can move things with her mind, Piper can freeze  
time, and Phoebe..."What's Phoebe's power?"

"She's psychic, Andy."

Andy raised a surprised eyebrow at -that- particular admission. Taking a sip of  
his coffee, he asked Prue, "You mean she wasn't just hustling people with that  
hotel gig?"

Smiling for the first time since they started the conversation, Prue confessed,  
"She was trying to use her powers to buy me a nice present for my birthday."

Remembering how he had had to do some fast talking to keep Phoebe -out- of  
trouble during that little stunt, Andy, too, allowed himself to smile. That smile  
was quickly erased, though, as he remembered a more recent conversation he  
had had with Phoebe. About Samantha. "She had told me bad things would  
happen if I went on that date..."

"Andy," Prue admitted, "Phoebe had seen you die."

Phoebe had had a vision of his death? This was beginning to be a little more  
than Andy could take. He believed that people could believe they were witches-  
he didn't believe they were real. But after tonight, he didn't know what to  
believe anymore. Standing up, he was grateful to feel his wallet and keys in the  
front pockets of his pants, especially since he was feeling the distinct urge to  
leave. Immediately. "I gotta go-"

Prue turned, only to catch Andy's back as he flew out the door. Stunned, Prue  
could only sit there for a few moments, wondering if Andy was going to realize  
that it was the next morning, his car was still at the restaurant, and he had left  
without his shoes.

So when he didn't come back, it frightened Prue more than the first time she  
had seen her powers in action. She had thought that, by confessing everything  
to Andy, it would clear the air between them. Even Phoebe and Piper had  
given her their blessing to tell him anything he wanted to know.

But instead of clearing the air, had she finally driven him away for good?

* * *

Epilogue

Mornings were always hectic in the Halliwell household. Three showers (when  
the tank only had enough hot water for two and a half), three women trying to  
get dressed, eat breakfast, and bring a lunch with them, and three women trying  
to get three cars out of their driveway without banging those cars into each  
other. And they all tried to do this within the short timespan of an hour. Piper  
had even attempted once to freeze time, in an attempt to see if it would help  
them in the mornings.

All it got them was more cold water.

So the last thing any of them needed was to hear the doorbell ring first thing in  
the morning. Especially since the little incident with the succubus had set Prue  
back several days at work. That, combined with Andy's disappearance left the  
oldest of the Halliwell sisters a little on edge.

After two days of Prue's 'irritability', Piper was temped to glue down anything  
breakable.

The doorbell rang again, and Phoebe realized that if she didn't get the door,  
whoever it was was going to get the shock of their lives when the door flew  
open, breaking the glass panel and revealing no person behind it. She called  
out, "I'll get it!" praying the whole time that Prue had heard her.

When she opened the door, Phoebe was unable to see who it was, because  
whoever it was had buried himself under an armload of three brightly wrapped  
gifts, four cups of coffee and two dozen red roses. She did, however, recognize  
the voice that called out from behind the packages. "Hello? Is Prue there? Is -  
anybody- there?"

"Andy? Let me help you with those." She took two of the presents from Andy's  
arms, leaving him with the top gift, the coffee and the roses. Phoebe then  
discovered, to her surprise, that one box was addressed to her and the other to  
Piper. Now completely confused, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

Andy opened his mouth to explain, then caught himself. "Go, call your sisters  
so I don't have to say this three times."

Raising a curious eyebrow, Phoebe called out without moving, "Piper! Prue!  
Can you come here a minute?!"

Questioning voices could be heard making a quick march from the kitchen to  
the front door, accompanied by the clattering of heels on wood. Andy  
immediately recognized Prue's voice. "Phoebe, what's going-"

Before Piper or Prue could finish the sentence, they saw Andy at the door,  
smiling sheepishly. When Piper looked at her sister and saw that she had been  
renedered momentarily speechless, she spoke in her place. "Andy, what are  
you doing here?"

Phoebe chimed in, "That's just what I had asked him a second ago."

Drawing in a deep breath, Andy admitted, "I came to apologize for running out  
on you guys the other night...and to thank you for saving my life. That's what  
the presents are for." Going first to Prue, he handed her the roses. "These are  
for you."

Prue was touched, but skeptical. "Thank you."

"Oh I'm just getting started," he replied. Setting the coffee down on a nearby  
table, Andy then took the roses back from Prue and handed her the box he held  
in his hand. "This is also for you. Piper, Phoebe has yours."

[Mine?] thought Piper. She took the box from her sister, and the three sisters,  
now thoroughly confused, began unwrapping their gifts: customized teddy  
bears.

Prue -almost- smiled when she saw that her bear was dressed in a full witches  
outfit-complete with broom-but Piper and Phoebe simply stared at their bears  
in confusion when they saw that each one was dressed, respectively, in a chef's  
outfit accessorized with a broken watch and a genie's costume.

Looking to their sister for an explanation, it was Andy who gave them one.  
"Prue told me everything. Read your cards."

Phoebe and Piper looked at each other, then looked in their boxes and  
discovered that indeed, there were small envelopes carefully positioned in the  
hands of each bear. Phoebe took hers out and read it aloud first: "To the  
youngest of my three favorite witches-Thank you for being there when I needed  
you the most. I'm sorry for tackling you into the wall," she allowed herself to  
smile at the memory before she continued, "but demon possession can do funny  
things to a guy. I'm glad you trust me enough to keep your secrets, and I hope  
that you see a long future ahead of us-as great friends. Love, Andy."  
Genuinely touched, she walked over and kissed the Inspector on the cheek.  
"Thank you."

Still smiling himself, Andy responded, "Oh don't thank me yet. Read the end  
of the card."

Curious, Phoebe looked to the bottom of the card. "P.S. Don't be surprised if I  
call you the next time I get a missing persons case." Now laughing, she agreed,  
"Well, hey, someone's got to find your mind next time you lose it..."

Andy pretended to be insulted. "Hey..." He then chimed in with laughter of his  
own. It seemed to be infectious...

Allowing herself to laugh with her sister, Piper then picked up her card and  
read it aloud. "To the best chef in San Francisco, and one of my three favorite  
witches - thank you for stopping me from doing something I would have  
regretted for the rest of my life. I will always be grateful that you were there to  
save my life, and I will always be there if you need me...anytime, anywhere.  
Love, Andy." Now wiping a tear from her eye, she too walked up and kissed  
Andy on the cheek. "Thank you, Andy."

Nodding his acknowledgment, Andy affectionately replied, "You're quite  
welcome."

Touched at the thoughtfulness that Andy put behind the gifts, Prue started to  
rummage around the box, trying to find her card. It wasn't there. Confused,  
she looked up at him and asked, "Andy? There isn't a card in this box."

Setting the roses on the table, Andy shoved his hands in his pockets to keep  
them from fidgeting as he admitted, "I know. What I wanted to say to you, I  
felt I needed to say it out loud."

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other, realizing that this was their cue to  
leave. Quietly, Piper whispered, "I'll just go put these in some water..." as they  
took the coffee and flowers and beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

When Andy realized that they were alone, he drew in another deep breath to  
steady his nerves. In that half-second, Prue tried to speak up first. "Andy-"

Andy, however, cut him off. "Prue, if I don't say this all at once I'm never  
going to get up the nerve to finish, so would you mind?" Understanding, Prue  
nodded once, then kept quiet as Andy explained, "First, I'm sorry for running  
out on you that night. It was a pretty overwhelming thing to find out all at  
once, you know? But I'm glad you finally trust me enough to keep your secret.  
I can understand why you were so reluctant to tell me...and I promise that I'll  
never tell another soul, as long as I live, no matter what."

When Prue opened her mouth to try and respond, Andy stopped her. "-Second-,  
I still love you. I did a week ago, and I have a feeling I'll love you even -  
more- next week. I still want this...whatever it is that we've got going between  
us to work out. I'm willing to take a chance. Are you?"

Hesitantly Prue nodded, then tried to speak-before Andy stopped her again.  
"Three, I need to ask you a favor."

-Finally-, Andy allowed Prue to respond. "What is it?"

"Never, ever, ever slip and call me Darrin."

That broke the tension in the room quicker than a snapped rubber band. Prue  
couldn't help it-she broke down laughing, especially when she realized that not  
only did he mean it in the sense of being stuck with a house full of witches, but  
that he -almost- ended up as 'Darrin' to a very evil Samantha.

When she could finally speak again, Prue threw her arms around Andy and  
prepared to make up for lost time in the kissing department. She did, however,  
have one thing to say. "Can I at least call you Der-wood?"

Groaning at the joke, Andy wrapped his arms around the woman he loved, and  
before he kissed her, whispered in her ear, "You know, you should probably  
close the door."

Allowing her mind that tiny diversion, Prue quickly complied, and the door  
swung itself slowly closed.

Fin


End file.
